Not bad for our first backpacking trip of the year - 22 miles in 44 hours!
And...what an amazing Memorial Day weekend!
In addition to honoring our veterans, we took advantage of the summer weather and left for adventure. (Escaping the on-going PDXBoil...)
A long weekend, a late start, beautiful scenery, and complete exhaustion = fun!
The trek - Badger Creek Trail in Oregon. Round trip of 22 miles.
The trekkers - Me, my wife (the photographer), and the dog.
The time - Started on the trail at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, returned to the car at 11:15 a.m. on Monday.
The trail - a rocky, hilly footpath - travels along the Badger Creek for most of the hike. Occasionally the trail leaves the creek and passes through old forests. At times it appears the forest is dying - or is dead - as the trees are falling, leafless, and foreboding. BUT the fallen trees make for a great obstacle course, crossing the trail and making hikers climb, hop, or blaze new trails. Numerous creeks are also crossed - giving you plenty of opportunities to fill your water bottles!
The trail lead to the Badger Lake and a nearby campground. (The lake is also accessible by car for the less adventurous...)
The first day hiking was pretty rough, we were definitely not prepared for the hills or the full campsites (dang holiday weekends). But the next morning (after making camp on the side of the trail), when we realized where we ended, it was all worthwhile - we went a lot farther then we initially believed!
After getting our muscles accustomed to the work, the second and third days were much more reasonable!
We took this time to test a lot of our new backpacking gear - water filter, JetBoil, and coffee maker (I cannot function without my morning coffee! - as well as test ourselves - carrying backpacks the entire hike, putting up and taking down the tent and gear each day, and packing and leaving as early as possible.
All of our equipment worked perfectly! And...somehow we made it without passing out!
Have you been backpacking yet? Where was your favorite spot?
Yours in exploiting life!
Quinn
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